Staying connected on the road can be critical, whether it's checking office e-mail or being in touch with family while away on a business trip.

So what to do? Invest in an air card so you can tap the Internet when you want or trust that you'll find a free Internet "hot spot" when you need it? Should you pay for Wi-Fi literally on the fly, or buy a package that guarantees you in-flight access for a day, a month or even a year?

What's worth paying for often depends on your needs: how often and important it is that you are reliably and securely connected.

Timothy Orris, who travels frequently for business, doesn't leave home without his air card, the portable modem that can plug into a laptop.

"When I need (information), I need it right now, not when I can find a signal and get (a) password," says Orris, a booking agent based in DeLand, Fla.

He says that hotel Wi-Fi connections in particular slow down in the morning and again after 4 p.m., and he feels they're not very secure.

But Sharon Adcock doesn't see the need for the pocket modem.

"I find more airports, restaurants, bars, shops and hotel lobbies have free Wi-Fi than they did in the past, so it's not worth the extra expenditure for me," says Adcock, a public relations consultant who lives in Holland, Mich.

Michael Planey, a consultant who specializes in providing IT solutions and in-flight connectivity products to airlines and their vendors, says for those travelers who need to be connected constantly, an air card may be a must-have, while for others, not so much.

"If you don't need to be connected 100% of the time, it may not be worth even the minimal expense to have one," he says, adding that more airports are making Wi-Fi available and for free, even if it's complimentary for only a limited time.

"I travel without a wireless card, and I can get (online) in hotel lounges and Starbucks and airports," he says. "An air card is an exceptionally good piece of technology, but it's not always 100% necessary."

CONNECTION OPTIONS

Some frequent fliers note that they have their own portable "hot spot" via their smartphones.

"Since my iPhone turns into a hot spot, I don't need an air card and I always have that when a hot spot isn't available or is so weak it tries my patience to use," says Barry Maher, a keynote speaker and workshop leader based in Corona, Calif.

Jennifer Welch started using an air card almost six years ago out of concern about how difficult it would be to find a public connection, and whether it would be secure.

"As someone who travels extensively for work, I gave up relying on finding a Wi-Fi hot spot long ago," says Welch, who is a flight attendant and has homes in Hillsborough, Calif., and Maui, Hawaii.

But she eventually found that she didn't need the air card as often since more hotels were offering high-speed Internet access for free. And earlier this year she decided to drop her air card altogether and rely on her smartphone instead. "I find the speed just as good or better as that of the air card," Welch said.

Once you're in the air, the only way to tap into the Internet is through a connection purchased from the airline or through its service provider.

You can purchase a connection on a flight-by-flight basis. Gogo, which provides Internet connectivity for nine U.S. airlines, including US Airways, United, American and Delta, offers a flight pass that allows passengers to access the Web for $4.95 to $21.95, depending on the plane's destination.

Fliers also can choose to buy Internet access for a shorter, limited time, ranging from $4 for a half-hour to $10 for an hour.

Then there are packages bought in advance. Delta, for instance, offers a "24 hour pass" for $14, a "Traveler Pass" which is a monthly subscription allowing unlimited Internet access on Delta flights for $39.95 and an "Annual Traveler Pass" that costs $469.95.

"Every traveler is different," says Paul Skrbec, a Delta spokesman, "but on the whole I'd say that whenever a customer wants to purchase Wi-Fi, they have options regardless of if it's when they buy their ticket or when they are in the middle of their trip."

If you travel at least twice a month on business, a package or subscription makes a lot of sense, Planey says.

"It doesn't mean you'll get on an L.A.-to-New York flight and be online for five hours," he says. However, he says, it "gives you the opportunity to check in without having to make the decision to pay or not to pay."

PER MONTH VS. PER FLIGHT

Brian Ivey, who works in health care consulting and lives in Chapel Hill, N.C., agrees that in-flight packages can be a good deal.

"If I am on a regular flight schedule, long flights, and the same airline, then a monthly deal is best," he says, adding that his calculation is based on needing to get online at least three times in a month, flying the same carrier .

Lately, Ivey's been flying Delta on frequent trips to Utah and Iowa, and he's bought the monthly pass. "I like the fact I can pay my $40 and forget it for a month," he says.

But others like to buy Internet time on a flight by flight basis.

"Until the airlines have more consistent availability across their entire fleet of aircraft, a package deal doesn't make sense for me," says George Fiscus, who owns a sales and marketing firm and lives in Mesa, Ariz.

Fiscus says he bought a monthly package on US Airways only to find several of his flights didn't have in-flight Wi-Fi. "At this point, I buy on specific flights longer than two hours," he says.

Jim Burditt, a sales rep who lives in Bucyrus, Kan., says a package is probably not worth it for a short hop.

"I am not going to drag my computer or iPad out if there is not time to really start watching a show or do much online," Burditt says.

Still, some travelers don't bother pondering the best deal for in-flight Wi-Fi because they never use it.

"(I) don't want Wi-Fi at all when I fly," says Frank Stasiowski, who works in architecture and lives in Boston. "It's the one time I can be out of touch and get some real work done. The longer the flight, the more I love it."